Best Pillows for Combination Sleepers (2023)
Jun 30th, 2023 •
When you sleep, do you constantly change positions? If you find yourself falling asleep on your back, flipping over to your stomach, and then waking up on your side, then you are one of many combination sleepers. As long as you are waking up feeling rested, then this is simply your sleeping style, and it is nothing to be concerned about.
As a combination sleeper, you need a more versatile pillow, because you will be using it in numerous sleep positions. To help you find the best pillow for this sleep style, we’ve compiled a list of the best pillows for combination sleepers.
Best Pillows for Combination Sleepers: Our Top Picks
- Best Pillow for Hot Sleepers – Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow
- Best Luxury Pillow – Luxome LAYR
- Best Memory Foam Pillow – TEMPUR-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud Pillow
- Best Latex Pillow – Saatva Latex Pillow
- Best Pillow for Back Sleepers – Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
- Best Adjustable Pillow – Lagoon Fox Pillow
- Best Pillow for Side Sleepers – Layla Pillow
- Best Cooling Pillow – Birch Pillow
- Best Value Pillow – Coop Home Goods Original Loft Pillow

Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow
Best Cooling Pillow for Combination Sleepers
Brooklyn Bedding’s Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow is designed to counteract overheating on multiple fronts. The memory foam core is ventilated with tiny pin holes and infused with both cooling gel and copper-graphite. The copper-graphite offers the additional benefit of antimicrobial and allergen-resistant properties.
For combination sleepers, the pillow’s standout feature is the fast-response memory foam. The foam is designed to respond to pressure quickly, which should make it easier to get your head and neck into a comfortable alignment when you switch sleeping positions.
The Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow isn’t adjustable but is available in low or high profile. The high-profile option should work well for side/back combination sleepers. If your primary or secondary sleeping position is on your stomach, you should go with the low-profile option to promote a comfortable spine alignment.
Pros
- 4.5/5 customer rating
- Multiple cooling features
- 3-year warranty
Cons
- Price ($129 queen, $149 king)
- No trial period

Luxome LAYR Pillow
Best Luxury
The LAYR pillow is one of the most adjustable pillows you can buy, which makes it a great pick for combination sleepers who switch positions frequently throughout the night. You can unzip the pillow and add any combination of the interior memory foam inserts to get not only the right loft, but the right firmness, as well. This mix-and-match customization allows you to dial in your comfort level for a more personalized, luxury experience.
The LAYR’s high-quality materials—including the bamboo viscose cover, cotton insert covers, and gel-infused foam—give it not only a fancy hotel room feel but excellent cooling and natural breathability. It’s a great pick for those who want more support and comfort from their pillow but aren’t sure what type or style to buy. Just bring this one home, and experiment with it until you find your best sleep.
Pros:
- 4.9/5 customer rating
- Fully customizable in firmness and height
- Good for all types of sleepers
Cons:
- Relatively short 30-night sleep trial

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Pillow
Best Memory Foam Pillow
The Tempur-Cloud pillow works well for side, back, and combination sleepers because it has a medium firmness and loft that cradles your neck and adapts quickly when you change sleep positions. Memory foam has a reputation for being slow-moving, but we found this pillow to be plenty responsive—it was fast and easy to get good support from the pillow, even while tossing and turning. It also provides excellent pressure relief, so neck and back ache sufferers should enjoy a contoured, cushioned feel that lessens their pain over time.
The pillow gives you two options—”hi” and “lo”—so it suits nearly every position well. (We don’t recommend it for stomach sleepers, though—the “lo” is still fairly high.) Hot sleepers will also like that the pillow feels so crisp; it has dual-sided gel layers that make it sleep cooler and vent air better than standard memory foam.
Pros:
- 4.1 / 5 customer rating
- Ultra-durable
- Five-year warranty
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with a sleep trial or returns.

Saatva Latex Pillow
Best Latex Pillow
Latex pillows tend to feel springy and responsive, which makes them a great pick for combination sleepers who frequently change positions throughout the night. This pillow has that signature latex bounce and also works well for all sleep positions due to its adjustability.
The pillow has a three-layer construction—if you find it to be too firm or elevated, you can remove its Talalay latex core and sleep on the other two layers, which include a machine-washable outer pillow made of plush microdenier fiber and a soft organic cotton cover. All three layers promote good cooling and breathability, as well as excellent support and pressure relief for those with back and neck pain.
Pros:
- 4.7/5 customer rating
- Removable insert
- Made of eco-friendly, high-quality materials
- High responsiveness makes it easy to change positions
Cons:
- Pricier than most pillows due to its luxury materials

Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
Best for Back Sleepers
If you like the smooth luxury of long-strand mulberry silk, this pillow is worth the splurge. The pillow has a medium firmness that works well for both back and side sleepers; the silk inside doesn’t compress as much as a down or down-alternative pillow might, but it’s designed to be plush and compact enough to provide just the right amount of versatile support for all but stomach sleeping.
The Cozy Earth pillow also has a bamboo viscose cover that’s hypoallergenic, breathable, and quick-drying, so it doesn’t retain heat or moisture. It’s certainly not the cheapest pillow out there, but there’s a reason Oprah has listed Cozy Earth bedding among her favorite things—you can expect the pillow to feel supportive, cool, and creamy-soft against your skin.
Pros:
- 4.9/5 customer rating
- Breathable bamboo cover
- Luxury-feeling silk interior
Cons:
- Not adjustable
- Pricey due to its high-end materials

Lagoon Fox Pillow
Best Adjustable Pillow for Combination Sleepers
For combination sleepers, a pillow they can customize to fit multiple sleeping positions is a major plus. The Fox pillow—which Lagoon describes as fully adjustable—is designed to meet the challenge. Simply add or remove pieces of the shredded memory foam filler until you find just the right combination of height, firmness, and feel.
The fact that the Fox pillow uses memory foam means more good news. Known for its responsiveness and contouring, memory foam is the ideal material for both pillows and mattresses designed to accommodate combination sleepers as they change sleeping positions during the night. The memory foam is also CertiPUR-US certified.
The cover is a bamboo/polyester blend, so you get the additional benefit of bamboo’s natural hypoallergenic properties. You can get the Fox pillow in queen and king sizes, and both the fill and cover are machine-washable.
Pros
- 4.7/5 customer rating
- 5-year warranty
- 100-night sleep trial
Cons
- Free shipping unavailable outside the contiguous U.S.
- Price ($119.99 queen, $139.99 king)

Layla Pillow
Best for Side Sleepers
Combination sleepers who spend most of the night on their sides need a pillow with a higher loft and good support. We found the Layla to be plenty supportive due to its memory foam core and memory foam filling, which you can adjust to your desired level of density and height. The pillow uses gel-infused foam to sleep cooler than your standard memory foam model; its zip-off polyester cover is soft, breathable, and easy to machine-wash.
If you’re looking for good pressure relief, this pillow is a good choice—its open-cell memory foam contours to your head and neck to relieve any buildup of tension. It works well for all types of sleepers, even stomach sleepers.
Pros:
- 4.5/5 customer rating
- Adjustable memory foam filling
- Sleeps fairly cool
- Contoured pressure relief
Cons:
- Not for those who like a pillow to feel fluffy

Birch Pillow
Best for Cooling
The Birch Pillow has a latex core that makes it feel responsive enough to help you easily switch positions, with a medium-firm squishiness that’s well-suited to most side sleepers and back sleepers. The pillow is made with eco-friendly, sustainable materials like Talalay latex and organic wool, wrapped inside an organic cotton cover.
All the pillow’s materials have natural cooling properties: The latex is airy and breathable, while the plush wool regulates temperature and wicks moisture to keep the pillow’s interior dry and cool in the summer, and cozy in the winter. The cotton cover is designed to feel light, stretchy, and above all, soft.
Pros:
- 5/5 customer rating
- Eco-friendly materials
- Bouncy and responsive
Cons:
- Not machine-washable

Coop Home Goods Original Loft Pillow
Best Value Pillow for Combination Sleepers
Coop Home Goods sought to create an innovative pillow that was perfect for combination sleeps and hot sleepers,. The result is the Original Loft Pillow, which is also less expensive than many comparable products.
The pillow uses a soft, gel-infused memory foam and microfiber blend to absorb heat and lead to a cooler sleeping experience. The foam filling is shredded, which allows the sleeper to mold and maneuver the pillow into the perfect shape for their sleeping position. Also, the pillow features an inner that which allows you to add or remove the foam filling to suit your size and sleeping positions.
Its gusseted design helps to prevent a flat-feeling pillow—instead, you have edge-to-edge support. The pillow cover is made of a highly breathable and super-soft blend of bamboo rayon and polyester that is hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant.
Pros:
- 4.5/5 customer rating
- $72 for queen-size, $92 for king-size
- Hypoallergenic
Cons:
- May need fluffing every few days
- Temporary off-gassing odor after unboxing
Pros and Cons of Combination Sleeping
In general, sleeping in multiple positions throughout the night gets your blood circulating, which is a positive aspect of combination sleeping.
On the other hand, switching positions constantly may be a signal that your health is suffering or that your mattress isn’t working for you. When it comes down to the pros and cons of combination sleeping, however, it is best to look at the pros and cons of each of the sleeping positions that you are switching through each night.
Sleeping on Your Back
Pros
- Reduces facial wrinkles
- The natural feeling position for your spine and neck
- Prevents appendages from falling asleep
Cons
- Increases snoring
- Will exacerbate sleep apnea
Sleeping on Your Side
Pros
- Reduces snoring
- Ideal for spinal alignment
- Aids in digestion and can help to prevent acid reflux
Cons
- Arms may go numb and “fall asleep”
- Could put strain on shoulders
- May cause facial wrinkles
Sleeping on Your Stomach
Pros
- Reduces snoring
- Helps with sleep apnea
Cons
- Leads to the spine being put in an unnatural and uncomfortable position
- Causes back pain, especially lower back pain
- Causes neck stiffness
- Due to the potential for back and neck pain, it can cause you to wake up throughout the night and cause you to wake up feeling drowsy
- May cause facial wrinkles
What makes a pillow good for combination sleepers?
Combination sleepers have challenges when it comes to pillows. That’s because each sleeping position calls for a different type of pillow.
For example, side sleepers need a pillow with more height to help close the gap between the necks and the bed and keep their spine aligned. Stomach sleepers are at greater risk for throwing their neck out of alignment, and should choose a flat and soft pillow. Back sleepers also need a flat pillow but with a little more loft and firmness.
Combination sleepers need pillows that they can easily adjust. For example, they’ll want to fluff it for added loft when they turn on their sides, or mash it flat when they roll onto their bellies.
Why buy a pillow for combination sleepers?
Everyone benefits from a good night’s sleep. But sleeping on the wrong pillow can be a real pain in the neck. Finding a pillow that can adapt to your changes in sleep positions can ease your neck and spine back into alignment to reduce the risk of neck and backaches, enable you to sleep better and stay asleep through the night, and let you to wake feeling refreshed.
How to use a pillow as a combination sleeper
How you use your pillow will mainly come down to the positions that you spend the most time in. However, in general, you want to shape and fluff your pillow to your liking. You should be able to mold and maneuver your pillow throughout the night so that as you change positions, your pillow will conform to the new position.
One of the most important things to realize as a combination sleeper is that you will not be able to fully identify whether a pillow is perfect for you by reading the reviews and product descriptions online. Because you change positions, the pillow you use will have to go through the test of time.
For this reason, we recommend that you take advantage of the company’s trial period. Some pillows offer a 30 day trial period while others offer up to 100 days – make sure you use that time to establish whether this is the best pillow for you.
What to Look for in a Combination Sleeper Pillow
When you are searching for a pillow that will work for combination sleeping, the most important thing is that you find a pillow that is good for all sleeping positions. Whether you switch positions a couple times a night or numerous times a night, you will be using the pillow in different positions.
Combination pillows must be versatile enough to accommodate every style of sleeper. Here are the characteristics of the perfect combination sleeping pillow:
Adjustable Build
When it comes to combination sleeping, it’s always a good idea to have an adjustable pillow. These pillows allow you to customize the loft to your liking by reaching in and adding or removing the filling.
Related: Best adjustable pillows
This means that sleepers of all styles can find the perfect loft for their sleeping patterns. For example, stomach sleepers need a low lofted pillow to maintain spinal alignment, so if you want to use the pillow for stomach sleeping, simply remove some of the stuffing. If you want to use it for back or side sleeping, you can add the stuffing back into
Medium Loft
If you choose not to get an adjustable pillow, then it is very important that you choose one with a medium loft. As a combination sleeper, you need a loft that will keep your spine, neck, and head in alignment, no matter what position you end up in. Make sure the pillow’s loft provides adequate pressure relief for your neck but doesn’t elevate your head to a point where your neck is out of alignment with your spine.
Medium Firmness
The firmness of your pillow is more dependent on your personal preference. If you can figure out what position you spend the most amount of time in, it will help you to understand which firmness level works for you. However, if you are unsure, it is best to go with a medium firmness.
Gussets
As a combination sleeper, you need a pillow that will offer you even pressure relief and a balance between supportive and fluffy. The best way to get that is to purchase a pillow that makes use of a gusset.
The gusset, also called a pillow’s “backbone” by some, wraps around the perimeter of the pillow and serves to maintain the pillow’s shape and loft. This means that no matter how many positions you go through, the pillow will adapt to the pressure and maintain even relief. Gussets ensure that the pillow remains soft for stomach sleeping, conforming for back sleeping, and lofty for side sleeping.
FAQs
What is a combination sleeper?
Most people change positions during the night, but they generally prefer one position over the others. Combination sleepers are people who regularly shift positions in the night. They may fall asleep on their backs, roll onto their side, and then flip over onto their bellies throughout the night.
What kind of pillows are good for side sleepers?
Combination sleepers need a pillow that adapts to their sleep position to keep their spine and neck in alignment in order to reduce the risk of waking with neck or back pain. That means, they’ll need a pillow they can puff up when they sleep on their sides, and one that will mash down when they roll onto their bellies.
Recap: Best Pillows for Combination Sleepers
Compare our top options for the best pillows for combination sleepers below:
Pillow | Award | Customer Rating |
Lagoon Fox Pillow | Best Adjustable Pillow | 4.7/5 |
Coop Home Goods Original Loft Pillow | Best Value Pillow | 4.5/5 |
Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Memory Foam Pillow | Best Cooling Pillow |
4.5/5 |
If you are a combination sleeper, know that you are not alone. Many people end up switching through numerous positions at night and still wake up feeling rested and refreshed, but they have to be careful when it comes to their mattress and their pillows.
As a combination sleeper, pillows are even harder to shop for because you have to find a pillow that accommodates all styles of sleeping – and that’s not always easy. Make sure you reviews our tips and tricks on finding the best combination sleeping pillow to ensure that you get the best night’s rest possible.
Related Content

Mattress Guides
Best Mattresses for Combination Sleepers
If you're a combination sleeper, meaning you change positions often throughout the night, you need a mattress that's both supportive and responsive. See our top-rated beds for combination sleepers.

Mattress Accessories & Bedding
Best Pillows Guide (2023)
Find the perfect pillow for your body type and sleep style in our selection of pillow favorites.

Mattress Accessories & Bedding
Best Pillows for Neck Pain
Learn how the right pillow can eliminate your neck pain and see our picks for the best pillows for neck pain of 2021.